behold! the illumination became twenty times
as brilliant, and out of the hill came thousands and thousands of
exquisitely dressed ladies and gentlemen, all in rows, each gentleman
leading a lady, and all marching in perfect time and order.

They came in companies of a thousand each, and each company was
differently attired. In the first the gentlemen were all dressed in
yellow satin covered with copper-coloured spangles, on their heads they
wore copper-coloured helmets with waving, yellow plumes, and on their feet
yellow shoes with copper heels. The flashing of the copper in the
moonlight was almost blinding. Their companions all were dressed alike in
white satin gowns edged with large turquoises, and on their tiny feet pale
blue shoes with buckles formed of one large turquoise set in pearls.

The gentlemen conducted the ladies to their places on the Gump, and with a
courtly bow left them, themselves retiring to a little distance. The next
troop then came up, in this the gentlemen were all attired in black,
trimmed with silver, silver helmets with black plumes, black stockings and
silver shoes. Their ladies were dressed in pink embroidered in gold, with
waving pink plumes in their hair, and golden buckles on their pink shoes.
In the next troop the men were dressed in blue and white, the ladies in
green, with diamonds all around the hem of the gown, diamonds flashing in
their hair, and hanging in long ropes from their necks; on their green
shoes single diamonds blazed and flashed.

So they came, troop after troop, more than I can describe, or you could
remember, only I must tell you that the last of all were the most lovely.
The ladies, all of whom had dark hair, were clad in white velvet lined
with the palest violet silk, while round the hems of the skirts and on the
bodices were bands of soft white swansdown. Swansdown also edged the
little violet cloaks which hung from their shoulders. I cannot describe
to you how beautiful they looked, with their rosy, smiling faces, and long
black curls. On their heads they wore little silver crowns set with
amethysts, amethysts, too, sparkled on their necks and over their gowns.
In their hands they carried long trails of the lovely blossom of the
wistaria. Their companions were clad in white and green, and in their
left hands they carried silver rods with emerald stars at the top.

It really seemed at one time as though the troops of Little People would
never cease pou